Three England players ‘complain about Thomas Tuchel’ in damning six-word message | Football | Sport
A number of England players have reportedly complained about Thomas Tuchel‘s tactical approach in the World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina. Plenty of criticism has been aimed at the Three Lions manager following the defeat, which saw England throw away a one-goal lead with only six minutes remaining to lose in stoppage time.
Anthony Gordon’s strike to open the scoring put England firmly on course to reach their first World Cup final since 1966. However, a defensive shift allowed the tide to turn as Argentina launched wave after wave of attacks. Tuchel made a number of defensive changes in an effort to protect England’s lead, but his decisions ultimately backfired.
They ended up with six defenders on the pitch as they adopted a 5-4-1 formation, with Nico O’Reilly coming into central midfield.
England barely got out of their own half in the closing stages and Argentina took full advantage, scoring two quick goals to win the match.
They were utterly dominant to the point that England had just 12 per cent of possession between Gordon’s opener and the winning header from Lisandro Martinez.
Tuchel has been widely blamed for setting England up to lose and that view appears to be shared by at least a few of his players.
According to BBC Sport, at least three senior members of the squad have privately complained about the tactical approach during the latter stages of the match.
Some players feel England should have been braver as opposed to retreating into their own half, with one source quoted as saying: “They went deep too early.”
It comes after Tuchel defended his tactics against Argentina, instead suggesting that English football culture was to blame for the defeat.
He said: “I haven’t seen the data yet, but I think just right after the goal the momentum swings completely and ball possession drops dramatically. We couldn’t find any duels anymore, that’s why we dropped deeper and deeper.
“It was never the plan, but it happened. We couldn’t stop the runners from the second line, the midfielders, through our gaps, and the deliveries were on the highest level.
“You need to get back on the ball otherwise you cannot break the pressure and you cannot get the momentum back. I think ball possession plays a crucial role.
“It’s maybe not in our DNA, like it is in our Spanish DNA or in our Argentinian or Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball.”
